Death Of Espn Sportscaster Called Accidental Drowning

SOUTHINGTON — Tom Mees, a sportscaster at ESPN, died Wednesday of accidental drowning, an autopsy has concluded.

Mees, 46, was found by his wife and daughters at the bottom of a neighbor's swimming pool about 2 p.m. Wednesday.It is unclear exactly how the accident occurred.

Southington Police Capt. Domenic Lombardo said Thursday it is believed Mees somehow fell into the deep end of the pool at 55 Pebble Drive, where he had taken his daughters Lauren, 8, and Gabrielle, 4, to swim.

The autopsy was performed Thursday at the chief state medical examiner's office in Farmington. Drugs or alcohol are not suspected as factors in the death, and no further tests will be performed, a spokesman for the chief medical examiner said.

Hours after the incident Wednesday, police had said Mees drowned after jumping into the pool to rescue his younger daughter who had fallen in.

Police later retracted that account, saying they did not know how Mees got in the pool.

Gabrielle did not enter the pool at all, Lombardo said.

Michelle Mees was alerted that her husband was in the pool by Lauren, who ran to the family's home at 41 Pebble Drive when the accident occurred. A 911 call was made from that address.

Jeff Krupinski, 21, who was mowing a lawn at a nearby home, heard Michelle Mees' cries for help. He dived into the pool and pulled Mees from the water.

The pool is surrounded by a 6- foot-high wooden fence and cannot be seen from the road or adjoining properties.

``Only that child [Gabrielle] knows what happened,'' Lombardo said. Police have not yet spoken to her.

Police are investigating why the wrong story was initially released to the media.

The scene at police headquarters was chaotic Wednesday night, with reporters calling from all over the country. At times, all four non-emergency phone lines in the police dispatch room were jammed by incoming calls, Lombardo said.

Mees was one of three original sportscasters hired by the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network in 1979, when the Bristol-based cable sports network was launched.

He is best known for his play-by- play commentary for the National Hockey League on ESPN2, a job he had held since the sister network began in 1993.

A tribute to Mees is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. on ESPN during the SportsWeekly program, an ESPN spokeswoman said.The segment will be anchored by Bob Ley and Chris Berman, the two other sportscasters who started with Mees at the network.

The Southington Republican Town Committee has started a memorial fund, said John Nugent, assistant town attorney. The money will be used to establish an annual scholarship in Mees' name to help a Southington High School senior get a college education as a step toward a career in broadcasting, he said.

Michelle Mees is a member of the Republican town committee.

Donations may be sent to the Thomas Mees Memorial Fund, c/o Southington Savings Bank, 121 Main St., Southington CT 06489.